Ooooo. . . . . . Shiney . . . .

Epiphany, according to Webster:

"3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience"

I had an "epiphany" this morning while I was getting dressed. I was pondering Ben's little (not so little to him) life's trials and thinking of how he got there. In doing so, it seems my mind literally jerked around to Goldilocks! What a contrast of characters! What a surprise to my thought process!

I will speak of Goldilocks and her role in my "epiphany".

On Wednesday night I kept Rease, Helena and Piper overnight for varying reasons. Paul dropped clothes by for Rease and Helena after they had gone to bed. Rease wore what Paul brought her, but Helena chose something from here. I bagged up the clothes and sat them by the front door to send back with Paul. But as with many things, in the haste of getting home Thursday night, they were left behind.

Rease had a field trip Friday morning. Paul brought the girls early, because Rease had to be to school early. She was all ready except for her hair. While I was putting Rease's hair in a pony tail, Paul told Helena to put on the jeans he had brought for her the other night. All this is taking place in the kitchen. Said jeans are in a bag in the living room.

Helena immediately sees some sea shells she found around the house and wanted to show her daddy - probably for the umpteenth time! He once again directed her to the living room. While on her way there she remembers a bag of sea shells she has in her "scrapbooking cabinet". Paul is getting frustrated by this time. She has been side tracked twice now. So he gets firm with her and sends her yet again to retrieve her jeans. She proceeds to have a conversation with him - about her sea shells as she is dawdling and slowly making her way to the living room. In his frustration I tell him he should be used to her getting side tracked by now. He then said something that is so true - as he is twisting his head and looking around, up in the air at imaginary things - " oooo. Pretty. Shiny. Just like her mommy", indicating that Kelly is the same way.

I related to that this morning. How we get ourselves into such quandaries. I know it doesn't take much in the "oooo, shiny" department to get me side tracked from the things of the Lord. It can be something as simple as thinking about what my day will hold, to doing laundry, or cleaning, or painting, and even the TV and the computer. These "shiny" things keep me from doing what God wants me to do on a regular basis: pray, devotions, reading His Word. I have the good intentions. I start in that direction. Then I catch it out of the corner of my eye. That "shiny thing" beckoning to me. I go to investigate and, well, the rest is history.

So it is in the very lives we live. The "shininess" of it gets us every time. Just like Helena, her mommy, me and even Ben, our peripheral vision catches that shiny object and we need to explore it. We need to embrace it, touch it, live it. I don't stop to think that perhaps Satan knows the shiny things I am attracted to. That he is more than happy to sit in his easy chair with his bag of pop corn and watch how it all plays out. That he is cheering me on, diverting me. I can only speak for myself when I say that I need to channel that diversion to the most important thing in life - my Lord. It will take discipline, but with God's grace and His gentle nudging, I should get there. I want to get there. I need to get there.

That's not to say that "shiny" things don't need to be or shouldn't be explored. Just not every single one! There's always going to be "shiny" things. But. . give to God what is God's and enjoy the shiny things He gives back! That's my goal. That's my desire.